| GUY WILLIAMS and JOSEPH HARPER - Professional Style Comedy Show |
| Written by Brendon Green |
| Sunday, 09 May 2010 21:32 |
 I would say that half the fun of the 'Professional Style Comedy Show' is watching how the rest of the audience reacts to what is happening, but that would be much too unfair on the stars of the show - GUY WILLIAMS and JOSEPH HARPER. The mix of confused giggles and guttural laughs do add a nice ambience to the evening, but the boys up front do not need it to make the show a resounding success. Part classic two-man show, part envelope pushing tag-team comedy free for all, Guy and Joseph manage to create an hour long balancing act between traditional stand-up comedy and new wave anti-comedy. By all rights, the balance shouldn't be able to hold steady, and the glorious thing about this show is that it doesn't. This is the comedy equivalent of riding extra springy see-saw with your biggest friend while screaming; 'Look Mum, no hands!'. The true independent nature of the show is represented by everything from the unique venue (Te Karanga Gallery), to the progressive ticket price (pay what you think it's worth). The perfectly selected awkward comedy of Matt Crawley as opening act and cute, but weird, show programmes brilliantly set the scene for something a little bit off. The shows titular claim to emulate all the other comedy shows out there, is cleverly used to satirize the comedy festival that it is itself part of. The originality of the whole endeavour is admirable, and it's a welcome shot in the arm for local comedy. The two performers are (mostly) on stage one at a time, evenly splitting up the allotted hour. It's not a 1st half-2nd half type of show though, as the adopted high-frequency revolving door policy means the audience isn't able to get too comfortable before the next tag-in happens. It's hectic, and the huge difference in styles exhibited make the juxtapositions that much more jarring, and that much more effective. Guy Williams is a dry observer of every day life. He delivers killer one liners with a down-beat cynicism that rips to shreds pop culture and any thing else he finds ridiculous. A fantastic writer, his jokes are superbly set up with tight concepts, and then hit out of the park by his perfectly timed delivery. In case you didn't know, Guy is good friends with Dai Henwood, having won the chance to be his protégé. Following on from that privilege, this show proves that Guy Williams is a big contender when it comes to the future of New Zealand comedy. If Guy is the 'Professional' part of the duo, Joseph Harper is definitely the 'Style'. As much a performance artist as a comedian, Joseph uses each of his segments to display a new kind of alternative comedy. Between viciously destroying the stereotypical stand-up comedy routine via kitsch amplification - and stretching the audiences love of a bad pun - Joseph showcases himself as a supremely gifted performer and one of the leading alternative comedians working today. 'Professional Style Comedy Show' is an absolute gem of a show. It takes the audience to places not often seen in New Zealand comedy, with Guy and Joseph the perfect indie tour guides. Any show that willfully, and successfully, subverts the audiences presumptions of what a comedy show should be is a welcome addition to an already fantastic 2010 Comedy Festival. |
